The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-06-29
RAILROAD HEARING.
The Question Of Extending the SOM
erset Road.
The Distinguished Legal Gentlemen
at skoyhegan.
Clans From All Parts of Somerset
County in Conference.
Especial to the Press.l


ersel county gathered here this morning.
some of them to favor, and others to oppose
w. G. S. Keene's scheme for a Boston and
Quebec air line railroad For Mr.. Keene's
interests Hon. E. +. Webb of Waterville,
was present and with him was Keene him
self, Omar Clark, the great Kennebec lum-
herman; Turner Buswell, ex-Councillor
Bixby, and many people from the upper
towns and plantations of Somerset county.
Hon. William l.. Putnam of Portland, coun-
sci for the Somerset Railroad, manages the
opposition to Keene's scheme. Associated
with him are Messrs. Stevens of Oakland
and the representatives Of the towns inter-
ested in the Somerset -Norridgewock,
Embden and Anson-Messrs. Harrington
and Low of Norridgewock, Parlin ana Col
Inns Of Anson and Wilbur of Madison.
Mr. M. N. Rich, Of the Portland Board of
Trade, is here too to give statistics relating
to railroad traffic. As is well known the cor
poration has been formed to build from
Skowhegan up through Madison, Solon,
Bingham, Moscow, Carratunk Plantation,
Forks Plantation, and so on to the Canadian
Pacific at Jackmanton, distance of seyen-
y
ing is to get the approval of the railroad
commissioners to the location Of the road.
The main nndrance to such approval is the
attitude of the Somerset Railway, which
runs from the Maine Central at Oak
land through Norridgew0ck and Madison, to
Anson. Should the new line be put through
the Somerset feels that it would lose the
business of the Kennebec Valley. So,
though its mortgage has just been fore
closed. it is going to bond the line again just
as soon as the old bonds are converted into
stock. With the money thus raised it in
tends to push its line on t. Bingham to head
off the Boston and Quebec Air Line from
Skowhegan. Meanwhile the Somerset is
fighting its case before the railroad commits
sioners tooth and nail H.. B. Dunn Of
Waterville, one OF the principal owners Of
the Somerset, Is here, and the court room
has been crowded today with the anxious
the anxious friends of the road and citizens
OF Norridgewock, S0lon and Embden, towns
that gave their credit to build the Somerset
Railroad.
The day has been occupied with testimony
tending to show the feasibility and advant-
ages OF the new line. The engineer, Donald
A. Stewart, has testified as TO the practical
bility of the route. g. A. Phillips of Law
renee, Of the firm Of Phillips & Co., Of Som
erset Mills, mas told Of the resources Of the
hard wood lumber would be laid open to the
market and the transmission Of lumbering
supplies facilitated by the line.
Mr.. Keene has given an elaborate and in
teresting account Of the resources and possi-
bilities of the Kennebec valley.
Omar Clark has told Of the great resources
of lumber that exist in this region.
Turner Buswell, A. K. Bixby and S. j.
Walton have also given reasons for granting
the location.
Mr.. Putnam, in opposition, has confined
himself to the crOSS-examinatiOn of the gen.
tlemen who have appeared. He has raised
one important point however. The law
specifies that when a railroad corporation
organizes under the general law and comes
to the railroad commissioners for an approv-
al of its location, it shall have had surveys
made and prepared, with maps, OF its loca-
ti0n. But, in the present case, the petition
ers have made surveys only to Bingham, and
they ask for the approval of the location Of
the road only to SOl0n. Mr.. Putnam object
ed that the law requires them TO bring the
entire location embraced In its articles OF as
sociatlon before the commissioners for ap
proval. This point the Commissioners have
not yet ruled upon. Mr.. Putnam has had
his objection incorporated In the records as
ne has several other less important points.
The Commissioners say that this point has
never been raised before. The Hartland
road location was approved in part before
the projectors were prepased TO furnish
maps of the whole survey, but no objection
OF the sort raised by Mr.. Putnam was made
at the time. The tendency of Mr. Putnam's
questionings today has been to bring out all
the facts likely to show that the proposed
road would be very costly tc build, as well
as Improbable when built. The interfer-
ence with the vested rights of the Somerset
road he will bring out when he presents his
side tomorrow.
1t is too early to predict what the outcome
OF the fight will be. There are some Of the
friends OF the proposed road who feel that
II the Commissioners approve their location,
the next move Of the Somerset people will be
to get an injunction from the court restrain
ing the new company. Mr.. Putnam's care to
have his objections carefully recorded today
has encouraged this belief, although others
say that he has taken only the ordinary
precautions of careful lawyer
Uncertainty as to who may be backing
keene also creates interest. He declares
that he has with him men who can furnish
all the S3,OO0,0OO necessary TO build the road
twenty-five thousand dollars mile is the
estimated cost from here to Solon, sixteen
miles. He hopes to have the part to SolOn
built this fall and the junction with the Ca
madam Pacific by the summer of 1888. This
OF course depends upon whether the COM
missiOners grant the location. An effort was
made some time ago to effect compromise.
1t was proposed that Keene build from
Skowhegan to Norridgewock, Join the SOM
erset road there, and the two go up river,
but keene declared it would lengthen the
line half an hour and would not hear to it.
He IS for going up the Kennebec valley
straight and Is very enthusiastic over its
possibilities. The hearing continues tomor-
row.